Stackhouse’s 10 Weekend Thoughts

2 – FURTHER GAME RECAP – Austin Shanks had his best game in over two months by leading the offense with 3-goals and 4-assists.  Robert Church added 3-3-6 and Zach Manns finished 1-3-4.  Jake Naso had 9-loose balls and was 57.6% successful on face-offs, picking it up in the second half.  Ryan Barnable had 8-loose balls, but it wasn’t the best of games on that front for usual ball hawks Matt Hossack, Jake Boudreau, and Mike Messenger.  In goal, Frank Scigliano had a frightening 67.4% save percentage and that really was the story as the Rush simply didn’t get enough saves, although that wasn’t their only problem.  This is a team that started the year 9-and-1 only to finish 2-and-8 (including playoff loss) in what was truly a tale of two seasons in one.  There were some disturbing patterns that developed down the stretch and it will be interesting to see how GM Derek Keenan evaluates prior to the start of next year but to say this was a disappointing season is an understatement.

3 – NOBODY CARES ANYMORE – Attendance last night was 5653.  That’s not going to cut it and I will give the Rush one more season of putrid fan numbers and then they are out of here.  At this point, the organization has a long road ahead of them to get fans back in the building.  They’ve fallen so far that now they are drawing a meagre 40% of what they used to in their pre-covid heyday.  You can blame a lot of things if you want but the reality is that the fans WERE there.  It’s not like this is an organization scratching and clawing to get interest.  Somewhere along the line, fans got chased away and haven’t returned.  The reasons we can speculate on but I’m not convinced it’s all about covid of a drag queen halftime show.  Sure, you may lose some over those issues but to have over half of your base not care anymore isn’t due to any one matter.  Comments on social media and a conversation with one long time Saskatoon resident would seem to point to how inner workings have changed since the team sold to the Blades ownership in 2021.  If that’s true, the future isn’t bright.  

4 – BOMBERS CHAMPS – For the first time since 1993 the Flin Flon Bombers are SJHL champions.  The Bombers were bridesmaids five times since 2016, including a three year stretch from 2022-2024 and I’m fairly convinced they would have won in 2020 had the season not been halted.  So, it’s a well deserved title for the organization and for head coach Mike Reagan, who has been at the helm since 2008.  Reagan is a Flin Flon product who also played for the team in the late 1990s.  He fell into the head coaching role just weeks after he was named to be an Assistant following the end of his collegiate and brief pro career.  The team was a perpetual bottom feeder and he turned them around instantly and I believe when you look at the overall body of work as a player and coach, Reagan should be recognized as the greatest Bomber of all-time.

5 – BC BACK IN JR A – It looks like BC will have representation at next year’s Centennial Cup, which is the national Junior A hockey championship.  The British Columbia Hockey Conference was launched this week by taking teams from the KIJHL and PJHL and combining them into one 22-team league and getting sanctioned from BC Hockey and Hockey Canada.  There are eight teams from the PJHL that will remain Junior B level but this figures to further disrupt the talent pool for Junior A hockey as the KIJHL and PJHL both served as feeder leagues into the SJHL in recent years.  I am super intrigued to see how long it takes before the BCHC ends up on equal footing with the AJHL, SJHL, and MJHL.  My guess is – not long at all.

6 – CHEAP BROADCAST – I’m not so old that I don’t remember a day when Canadian sports networks would send full crews to broadcast every one of the eight NHL first round playoff series.  Those days are long gone as Sportsnet can’t really afford to do them all I guess, so they tap into the American feed on the series’ where American teams are involved.  What I didn’t realize, because I watch the American channels, is that Sportsnet covers up the digital rink boards and ice logos with their own sponsorship.  So, while I’m watching TNT or ESPN and seeing Fastenal, or Mass Mutual on the ice, Canadians who are stuck with Canadian feeds get a smorgasbord of Canadian companies on the ice and boards.  On one hand, good for Sportsnet to still be able to find ways to collect revenue above and beyond your standard 30-second ad, but on the other what a cheap way of presenting your product. 

7 – NHL CANADA – One Canadian team is already eliminated and a second one may be shown the door here in the coming days if the Oilers can’t figure out a way to stop giving up 6-goals a game.  That would leave Montreal as the lone Canadian team remaining, but you could make the case the Habs are only half Canadian.  If a prophecy spewed by Vancouver GM Jim Rutherford has any legs, Canadian teams are going to have further difficulties competing as he believes more American players are going to force their way out of Canada (he was talking about Quinn Hughes and Matthew Tkachuk when he made the statement).  There’s certainly reason to believe Connor Hellebuyck, Brady Tkachuk, and Auston Matthews could all be dealt or ask to be dealt in the near future.  Connor McDavid isn’t American, but he sure is playing like someone who doesn’t want to be in Edmonton much longer so you can add him to the list too.

8 – MISSED CALLS – In Saturday’s game four between Ottawa and Carolina, Ridly Greig sucker punched Sean Walker in the face while wearing gloves and while Walker was being held by another Senator player.  The cheap shot went uncalled, which to me is a damning indictment on NHL officiating.  It really wasn’t that long ago that teams would have full-scale line brawls during games and there was only one referee (not two) who was left to sort out the carnage.  Now we have analysts screaming for more video replay.  No, we don’t need that.  We need better referees.  We need to know who these people are the same way we know who Angel Hernandez was or who CB Bucknor is.  NHL referees used to take pride in hearing their names recognized as being the best in their field.  Yes, some of them were recognized as being poor too but the decision to remove their names from the back of their jerseys has been detrimental to the overall quality of officiating.  

9 – CEBL MAMBA – The roster for the former Saskatchewan Rattlers is starting to take shape as the Saskatoon Mamba announced the signings of Trey Townsend, Jamal Fuller, and Markus Harding to their roster.   All three will be newcomers to the league with Fuller and Harding being Canadians with NCAA experience.  It sounds like a lot will be expected from Fuller, a 6’5” guard who is graduating college after a year in which he put up an average of 16.2-ppg.  Harding is a big man with a bit of an offensive touch but it would appear as though they are looking for a presence under the basket more than anything else.  Townsend has played in the NBA G-League and it’s hoped the increase in playing time will translate into in increase in production.  The season begins Thursday, May 14.  I’m not sure how jumping back and forth from Sasktel Centre and Merlis Belsher is going to work but we will see.  The organization could also stand to do some promotional advertising outside of digital media, but that’s just my amateur opinion.

10 – KODIAKS CJFL – If you aren’t following what’s unfolding in Prince George with their junior football program, you should do yourself a favor and follow Football News BC on Facebook.  People are coming out of the woodwork to share their own experiences as families that had players play in their organization in recent years and I’m not sure how the Kodiaks are even going to be able to field a competitive roster this season.  They have massive debt stemming from questionable financial transactions involving their former President, who has ties to Regina and had two sons playing for the club.  Former Rider Jamie Boreham had been their coach for the last number of seasons and was named CJFL Coach of the Year in 2025, but he was let go because there was no money to pay him this year.  Boreham has solid support from those posting on the Facebook account but my experience from being exposed to the team in 2023 is that you’d have to do an incredibly deep search to find someone who was involved with them that had any real integrity and acted in a professional manner.

(Mike Stackhouse is a freelance writer/broadcaster. Follow him on X/Twitter at @Stack1975)